Jay and Krista Williamson have been amazed by the outpouring of community support for their family, as they deal with an uncertain future faced by their infant daughter Ava.
Ava Dawn Williamson, born on Jan. 18 at McMaster Hospital, has an extremely rare medical condition, Antley-Bixler Syndrome, just the eighth confirmed case worldwide. It is a congenital defect that causes one or more sutures of the skull to fuse, and the joint between the radius and humerus to be missing, causing fusion at the elbow.
“It’s been overwhelming, the community support, the people who have come forward, all the benefits, the fundraisers,” said Jay, as supporters poured into a benefit dinner/dance at the Fergus Sportsplex on Nov. 24.
Over 400 tickets were sold to the event, with dinner catered by Gorge Country Kitchen and music by Ty Baynton and the Backroads Band. Silent auction items, all donated, surrounded the room at the event.
“There’s people here from far and wide tonight,” Jay noted.
While she has a long way to go, Ava’s father says she’s been “doing extremely, extremely well.”
Ava underwent a tracheostomy just under two months ago, to help her breath through her weakened airway. Now, says Jay, she will have some time to “grow and develop.
“There’s no more surgery scheduled for the next year,” he explained.
While there will be further surgery in the future, for now, the Williamsons are getting a chance to enjoy life with their daughter.
“She’s a happy little kid,” says Jay.
Following the Nov. 24 event, Jay told the Advertiser, “it was a fantastic evening.”
“We are so lucky to be a part of a community that comes together like this,” he stated.
